


Bear With Me

by clexa4lofe2014



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F, F/M, Out of Character Bella Swan, bear shifter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 15:55:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18577717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clexa4lofe2014/pseuds/clexa4lofe2014
Summary: Being a bear was easy. All you had to do was eat, sleep, and hibernate. It was basically the life. Or it was until some muscled giant decided that poking the bear would be fun. Now I'm living with them and haven't decided if it is worth the head ache that comes with living in a house with 7 others. Shifter Bella





	Bear With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Well I decided that I might as well try my hand at a Twilight fanfiction. I have read hundreds of these stories but the one kind of story that I can never get enough of are the stories where Bella is a shifter. Sometimes the stories are great and sometimes they aren't. Feel like they are certainly more of a hit or miss type and hopefully my mine ends up being the former.
> 
> Bella will eventually be with a female. Haven't exactly figured out who yet. Have been going back and forth a couple of times. Feel free to drop who you might like her to be with. It is between Kate and Tanya Denali and currently have a poll up on fanfiction that has Tanya winning by a couple of votes. I will take any suggestions into account and add to the poll numbers as well.
> 
> I had been think of it maybe adding Rosalie to the poll but I really do love the relationship that she has with Emmet.
> 
> Also the first part of this story is one that I had already written before taking down. I finally finished the first chapter because I had the story stuck in my head all day playing like a movie.
> 
> Seriously can't say it enough but I really would like a beta.

I own nothing of Twilight!

* * *

Chapter One

They had finally attacked. I had been smelling them following my daughter and I for over a week. Bella as she loved to be called because Isabella was too long, decided that bears were amazing, and she wanted to see one but not one in a zoo because those weren't true bears and she would always cry when there. The thought of being locked behind bars away from where they truly belonged went against nature. It went against our nature. Any animal in a zoo was as she so eloquently put it the last time we went was 'tamed and only a hollow shell of the true animal and being they were meant to be.'

So here we are near Yellowstone National Park because it was reported that large groups of grizzly bears were converging here due to an increase of prey in the area. I had made sure that we had binoculars making it easy to see all the animals without getting too close. Of course, no animal or bear would ever harm my family. The only thing they might do is sniff around us for a while before going back to their own business. Bears know that we weren't dangerous to them, they Know that we are one of them. At least I am the only one now, but Bella will soon follow me.

It was only passed down the female line because mother bears were the most dangerous and deadly, especially when it comes to her cubs. Any mother bear would rather her self be killed in the place of their cub. Would fight to their last breath to keep their young safe. No man had ever shifted on my mother's side of the family, in fact, in a strange twist of fate, no man had ever been born on my mother's side. Men married into the family sure, but no man was sired.

The running of feet got closer to our location and I pulled Bella further into to my chest in a tighter hug wishing that this was not happening. That those blood sucking leeches were not about to enter the clearing we had camped out in. The clearing that I know we should left sooner but Bella had started to run a fever. A fever so hot that it could only mean one thing and one thing only. That her body was preparing for her very first shift.

She had spent most of the day throwing up and making strange rumbling noises in the back of her throat. Continuously I would wet a rag and place it on her forehead as I waited for her to change.

The first shift was close now. Within the next half a day I would guess due to the hard shivers and shakes that were racking her oh so small body.

Carefully I placed her small body into the nest I had made of clothes, blankets, and pillows that I had gathered from our things. Then stood and began to allow my mind to find that small area that allowed me to shift. The area that felt like freedom when I grabbed it with both hands.

My stance was loose when a small coven of three vampires entered the clearing. The man in the back made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. He was more dangerous than the other two.

He wore ripped jeans and a dark vest that was unbuttoned with no shirt underneath. The hair on his head looked to be tangled in dirty blonde knots that barely touched his shoulder. The dark red of eyes sent more warnings into my mind.

The one to his right had curly red hair that seemed to look like fire. She was also wearing a vest that seemed to be made of white fur with a green crop top underneath.

The last man was dark skinned but also had that pale quality to him, looking sickly. Dark hair was in dreadlocks that seemed to reach to below his shoulders. Unlike to other two he wore a long-sleeved jacket brown jacket with a shirt that was partially ripped, and I could see from here had blood stains on it. Strange considering he seemed to calmest and least psychotic from the small coven.

A strange rumbling growl slipped past my lips as the blonde male took another step further.

"Leave here! This is the only warning you get," I rumbled at them. Already my body was beginning to shake violently as I tried to stay stock still.

"We just wanted to see what the strange scent was. We don't mean any harm," the dark-skinned man spoke. He had a slight French accent.

"I know you have been following me and mine. If you don't leave then I will rip you limb from limb!" I roared at them as I took a step closer. The blonde had taken another step forward after the other man spoke. The need to protect my cub was further setting me on edge, especially when Bella released another small whimper and tightened her arms further into her body.

Another growl ripped past my lips and I snapped my mouth closed once more making a loud noise that came from clacking my teeth.

"Was that a challenge?" the blonde man asked. His voice had a slightly deranged tilt to it.

The red head then reached forward and grabbed his arm. "James we need to leave," she whispered to him and she tilted her head to side slightly as though listening to something only she could hear.

"Why? She is by herself Victoria. What harm could she do to us anyways? It's three against one," James told her as he ripped his arm from her grasp.

Then in an explosion of skin and clothes I was no longer human. My form easily towered over the vampires. My shoulders came up to almost seven and a half feet tall with another half foot added from to slight hunch I had on my back. The fur was dark brown and certain areas looked to be rough and along the ridge of my back the fur was longer and had an almost golden sheen to the tips.

My ears were laid back on my head and I slapped the ground in front of me with my right paw, making a loud sound.

"Oh, now I see," said James as he took a slight step back, only for the last nameless one to take a step forward an excited look on his face.

"Laurent, we need to leave. This won't end well for us," Victoria spoke once more. A little more fear to her tone as she took special interest in my sharp claws that were well over a foot long.

My lips gently pulled back showing off my long, white, and very pointy teeth in my muzzle as I once more clacked my teeth. A deep rumble making its way from deep inside my throat.

"I don't believe I want to leave just yet," and then Laurent was running toward me.

I charged forward at the same time and raised my paw quickly enough to slap him away from me. He seemed to roll and bend over backwards as he smashed across the clearing and destroying a tree which stopped his backward motion.

"You'll pay for that bitch," his words were slightly pained, and I could see why because my sharp claws had cut into the diamond skin of his cheek leaving behind four very visible scratch marks, some areas my claws had made their way past cheek showing the inside of him mouth, certain areas of his skull easily visible. No longer was this creature blemish free and he would forever wear those scars.

I made the mistake of taking my eyes off of him to watch the other two that had made their way closer to Laurent. A foot connected with my side and could both feel and hear the sound of ribs breaking as I was kicked.

Landing heavily on my side, I was quick to right myself ignoring the pain radiating from my side. Managing to move my head enough to only have his sharp nails rake down my side instead of down my face, leaving me with four bleeding wounds of my own.

This time I howled in pain before lunging forward and locking my jaws down on his right shoulder. Pushing him further down with my left leg and lifting pull my head up. This was a mistake because the man released a scream of his own as his shoulder began to crack and break away as I ripped and pulled.

Teeth entered into my lower left leg and I was forced to released as he then proceeded to pull and ripped a large chunk of my leg off.

It burned. Oh god how it burned. The venom from his mouth felt as though it was eating away at my flesh from the wound. Small pearly white drops started to leak from the area as my body attempted to push the venom from the wound.

Feet dug into my stomach and toes seemed to almost dig and rip into my flesh as he pushed me off of him. Once more I was flying in the air before landing heavily on my back. Groaning as I slowly rolled back onto my feet realizing that I had landed right next to my daughter and had smashed the tent that we had been sharing as she was only twelve years old and still small enough to fit in a one-person tent.

Fever ridden eyes seemed to stare fearfully at me but I knew it was for my well being and not because of what I turned into because I had already told her the stories of our family. Her favorite story was of how we acquired our gift. Her favorite activity was when I would drive us out and allow her ride on my back, her joyful shrieks of laughter making me fall further in love with the life I had created. The old memories burned and clenched around my heart at the thought of never having anymore with her.

The original shifter of the family supposedly was a bear who passed some sort of test from a goddess and as a gift was given human form to live her life but still retained the ability to return to her original self.

"Momma," she croaked at me. Her voice was rough and slightly delirious as she reached a small hand out to touch my snout. I let out a low moan letting her know that all was fine, and her eyes slowly closed once more. Pain shot through my heart at the sight and I pushed myself up once more.

It seemed the other two had vanished from sight or more than likely had left all together because I could not smell them but Laurent was still on the other side of the clearing and was holding his hand against his shoulder as though to keep it from falling off which was most likely the case as I knew that if he wasn't careful he would lose the appendage.

We had our own venom that worked in a way that would not allow a vampire to reattach any limb that bitten off. Any scratch or bite wound would heal but would scar heavily.

Finally I raised myself up onto my hind legs and released a roar that seemed to shake the very earth itself. Laurent's eyes widened in fear then hardened and prepared himself. I launched myself forward the ground shaking once more as I ignored how my left leg seemed to almost buckle from the sudden weight as I charged forward.

A large huff of air escaped my lips as I ran forward almost as quickly as a vampire. When I leaped forward to snatch his right shoulder once more in my jaws, I was instead met with teeth in left shoulder. Once more feet dug into my stomach, further opening the wounds there, as he kicked me back.

I moaned in agony as another large wound was opened this time though I knew I was in trouble as the bite was near my jugular and seemed to have barely nicked it as blood began to almost pour down my neck like water in a river.

Already I could tell that this wound would be fatal. Any vampire bite slowed the healing process down to almost a crawl. Thankfully it seemed I was able to rip his arm right off at the shoulder from catching it with my claws as I was forced away.

Laurent was moaning on the ground, clutching his shoulder as he shouted curse words to the sky. Dark satisfaction filled me at the thought that the leach would forever only have one arm.

A small huff like laughter slipped past my lips at his plight. Only to stop laughing when the pain in my neck became to much to bear and was forced to stop. My eye lids felt heavy and I could only watch in slight sadness and anger that my kill was being stolen from me by the red head who had returned it seemed to grab the downed male.

Her eyes narrowed in anger in my direction before she took off with the still moaning man.

Everything was becoming heavier and it didn't help that as I closed my eyes once more, the sound of ripping clothes and skin caught my attention, especially when I heard the anguished and confused cries of a cub.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus out the pain, trying to even stand only to fall once more. The cries increased in pitch and clumsy steps made their way closer to me, but I knew that I wouldn't get to celebrate with my daughter like I had planned too.

Unlike me, she would never go on a first hunt with her mother and that thought hurt more than any wound, but I was dying and oh god did it hurt. Things were starting to fizzle out. The harsh screams of my daughter were slowly fading away. I slowly pushed back the overwhelming pain, ignoring how only one leg was strong enough to push myself up with. The other hanging limply at my side as a large chunk of flesh had been torn from the below the joint and added with much of my shoulder and part of my neck missing made it very hard to stand.

Taking another deep breath in, the scent of burned bleach and death was gone only lingering in front of us because of the arm. The weight became too much, and I fell allowing my eyes to close once more.

My shift back to my human form was slow and painful but unlike most shifters who ran in packs or prides, bears did not. This meant that there was no thought communication and I could not share any final words with my young one in my shifted form.

The cries of my little cub made me open my eyes, pushing back the sluggishness so that I could see her one last time. Her dark chocolate brown eyes met identical ones. Another pain filled cry fell from my daughter's muzzle. Tears ran rivers down her face, turning the light brown fur dark.

Shakily my arm moved forward and ran fingers through her soft fur.

"It's ok my little cub. You will be fine. Remember that I will always be with you. I love you so much my little one and nothing can take that from you," my words were slurred and then blood was filling my mouth as it seemed that I had punctured my lung.

Wet tears landed on my face as daughter released loud huffs into my uninjured side of my neck. My right arm wrapped awkwardly around her neck as things became darker and fuzzier. The little strength I had began to slip further and the only thoughts in my head were of how sorry I was for leaving her so soon and finally everything faded to black.

* * *

A mother grizzly slowly walked along in the forest; sorrow heavy upon her shoulders for the loss of her cub. Her little cub who had been killed by a cougar that has been prowling around her hunting grounds. She had gone out to hunt, leaving her cub behind in the cave she used for hibernating certain that the large concentration of her scent would keep other predators away.

It didn't deter the cougar though. She had heard to the screams of her cub. Sounds that she had never heard in her life. Sounds that filled her with such terror. She had charged back to her den only to find the cougar had already killed her cub and was pulling the dead body towards a tree.

Her world has condensed down to where she could only see her cub's lifeless body hanging from the jaws of the cougar. The other animal dropped her child's dead body and tried to defend his meal.

She had ripped and tore the other animal apart. Its blood staining the slightly snow-covered ground red. Her triumph of killed the cougar did not last when she realized what she had lost. Many seasons she had tried for a cub and each died within days of being born, except for this one. Her little boy had come into the world strong and she knew he would be a great male someday.

Now though? Now he was gone, and she was left to mourn her loss alone until the next mating season where she could hopefully birth one more cub as she knew she was reaching the end of her life.

The sound of another mother's bellow echoed across the valley she found herself in. The bellow showed the mothers fury at those who would harm her cub. She knew that sound intimately for she herself used that sound only once. She could also hear the pain that was also there. Barely surprised when a few moment later the sound of the mother bear bawling in pain.

Staying still and listening for any noise of the mother fighting, her whole world stopping when she heard the sounds of distress from the cub.

She turned and ran, following the sound of the cub. The screams of the cub. She could hear the desperation in those cries, making her way into the clearing ready to wage war in defense of the small being.

She could see no body of the mother but she did see the cub who was standing next to the body of a dead human. The bear made her way closer making sure to watch for any signs of movement from the surrounding woods, ready to run to the cub if needed.

The small cub had their head on the chest of the woman. Each breath taken from the cub coming back out as the sounds of distress. Never taking their eyes off of the human's face.

The closer she came the stronger the smell of blood became, as well as the strange smell of death. Not the death of the human but something else. Something that sent fear coursing through her body.

The small cub only noticing her approach once she was within arms distance of them. The small cub stood and growled at her. Fire burning in her eyes as she faced the larger animal. Only relaxing when she released a few soft grunts hoping to put the little one at ease.

It seemed to work when the cub released another cry and nudged the human before looking back at her. She lowered her massive head and sniffed around the corpse and then she realized that the woman smelled of bear. She smelled of power.

The cub gave another cry before lowering herself down once more, resting her muzzle on the strange human's chest.

The mother bear also noticed how strange the cub herself was. Normally a cub was small but this one was already half the size of her but didn't show signs of adolescence but signs of still being a cub. The ears and paws were massive. The cubs fur also showed signs of the fuzz found on many cubs barely a year old. She could even see the milk teeth that the cub still had.

She didn't care that this cub was strange though. She only cared that the cub was all alone. No mother to be found except for the strange human. No smells of the mother bear disappeared but was centered around where the cub was as though she had simply vanished.

The sky was beginning to darker and she knew they should not be out for much longer. If she could get the cub to follow her then she could bring her to her cave that was only a short walk away. It was dangerous for such a young one to be out here especially at night.

The mother bear leaned over and nudged the cub away enough from the human enough that she was able to grab hold of the loose fur that was around her neck and shoulders. Picking the young one up, the older bear began to move away from the body only releasing the cub when they were a couple feet away.

The cub went to run forward once more but she was quick enough to pull her back. This continued a couple more times before the small cub gave one last mournful cry to the human before looking up for guidance.

She began to walk away from the clearing only turning to make sure the small cub followed close behind her.

The mother bear didn't know then but she would spend the rest of her days with the strange cub that she found in that clearing.

-Time Skip (POV Change)-

Life was simple for me. Since the death of my adoptive mother I had steadily been making my way North to Washington trying to find Forks. It has been incredibly difficult to even figure out which direction was west and then to try and go north.

Thankfully it only took about six months to figure things out and finally get the Forks. I had walked around the area making sure to stay away from any humans but was able to find my fathers house. Or at least where he used to live. Through the gossip of the town I had learned that he married Sue Clearwater a couple of years ago. Apparently after the death of her husband Charlie had stepped up and made sure that she always had enough food and helped her with her children.

It made me happy to know that at least he was living a good life since my birth mother's death and my disappearance. In all honesty I wasn't sure if I had been declared dead or was just missing. I knew that it had been almost 3 to 4 years since that fateful day in the clearing so long ago. It probably sounds horrible and might just be because of how long i had spent as a bear but a large part of me didn't need my father. Male bears never stayed with their young. Once they finished mating with the female they disappeared and it was the mother who looked out for them.

I can still remember how the dark skinned monster screamed as his arm was ripped off and the agonizing roar that my mother released. Sometimes I can still feel her hand as she cupped my face. How she ran it through the soft fur that covered my face and neck.

It wasn't to long after that that Ursa found me. I don't know why she came to my rescue, but I couldn't be more grateful for her. She taught me how to hunt, forage, and fight others. Of course most of these animals were killed pretty quickly when I got into a fight with them.

As the years went by I slowly became more massive and by the time I had stopped growing I towered over her. She was never afraid to cuff me when I became irresponsible though or didn't share my kills with her.

I never thought the whole thing about bears loving was true. I learned that bears in fact love honey. Especially when you eat the inside of the hive, including both the larva and worker bees. It hurts like a bitch when you get stung though especially because it isn't just one sting but hundreds. In the end though it was worth the trouble even if Ursa seemed pissed that I didn't share my meal with her, she cuffed my head before walking away.

It was one of the few times that she vanished for a day before coming back and she always came back until one day she didn't. I had been prepared for her leaving me or forcing me to go on my own but when she had left she had spent a few minutes cleaning off parts of my fur that covered my head and neck. I couldn't help but hum in my enjoyment of her treatment as it was something that she didn't do often. When she finished she stood and then slowly left turning back a couple of times to look at me but when I went to follow she just shook her head so I stayed.

I waited two days before looking for her thinking that maybe she had finally moved on to being alone again but this wasn't the case. For a couple miles I followed her scent to an old musty cave that seemed oddly familiar and found her.

She wasn't breathing.

I hadn't realized how grey her fur had become or how she never really hunted anymore. Always allowing me to be the one who provided for us. It never occurred to me that she was old. That she was finally reaching the time that she was ready to pass on.

It hurt. Oh god how it hurt. Thankfully it was not as traumatic as Renee's death was, but it still felt like my heart stopped for a second. I screamed my fury to the world, tearing down trees and destroying everything in sight. My sorrow had slowly morphed into unbridled fury. I didn't realize what I was doing until I finally calmed down.

My breathing was heavy and I felt exhausted. I had never over exerted myself like that before and haven't since. I had apparently destroyed a large section of the forest that I was in. Honestly it wasn't one of my better moments.

I then realized that I didn't want to stay near Yellowstone and wanted to be closer to home. The journey thankfully took place during early summer allowing me to walk for long stretches of time before stopping to hunt for a meal.

I had also learned how to shift back to my human form finally and it was kind of gross. Well more like I was gross. My hair was matted in dirt, sticks, and leaves and had grown down to cover my butt. I easily broke into some hunter's lodge and took a shower. It was strange to walk on two feet again and at first I had fallen down after every couple of steps not used to trying to balance like that.

Once I had managed to scrub off every ounce of dirt that covered my body I cut my hair. The people that owned the home/cabin thankfully had it mostly stocked so I was lucky and found a pair of clippers and an electric razor that I used to shear off most of my hair. I strangely felt a couple pounds lighter.

I also learned that I was short and didn't take after either my mother or father who were both taller than most of their families. My father stands at a proud six feet, while my mother was almost 5'8". It would seem I drew the short end of the stick and was short. I couldn't have stopped the snort at that thought if I tried. One would think when you turn into over a seven-foot-tall grizzly bear you would at least be tall but no. The only thing going for me at least was that I had little to no fat on me, mostly because it wasn't winter, and I didn't need to extra fat on my frame. This meant that i was lean but one could see the muscles easily that covered my body.

It would also seem the bite I had received from a cougar a couple months ago was worse than I thought as the scar tissue was still an angry reddish color and the scratches I took to the face seemed to have healed properly only leaving a slight difference in coloration behind. It would also seem that even though I am barely 15 I looked to be 18.

Once clean and I was able to find an old map in the cabin and learn that I was in the south part of Oregon meaning I was barely half way there.

It took me another 3 months to finally find a suitable area at the edge of the Olympic national forest. It was at least half an hour away from the actual town, but I liked it more than actually being near Forks.

When I had ventured into the town once or twice I had kept to the more wooded areas and tried to make my way to Reservation. What I found to be strange was that the area was marked by some wolves but they didn't have the same scent as the wolves I had encountered before. The had a more domesticated scent to them closer to dogs than wild wolves and when I finally saw their tracks I went in the other direction not feeling comfortable with how large they were.

As the next two years passed I found myself falling further into animal instincts. It seemed that once I knew that my father was ok and thriving I didn't need to really keep that humanity in tact. My mind didn't like the fact that I was alone while my instincts told me that this was good thing. It was natural for me to be alone. The only time I needed another was mating season and I can't begin to explain how awkward it is to have male bears chasing after you. On more than one occasion I had to fight males because they kept trying mate with me. Even just thinking about it grosses me out.

Once they figured out that I was more interested in beating the shit out of them did they leave me alone. Especially once I accidently killed the largest male at the river where many different grizzlies were foraging for fish. It seems that once a non-mothering female kills a male they all stay as far away as possible. At least they have some form of self-preservation.

It would also seem that I was not as secretive as I thought I was, as it looks to be that there are rumors about a massive bear roaming around Forks. This fall was one of those few times where it was a lot warmer than previous ones I had gone through so I didn't need to eat as much as normal.

I knew I should have been more careful making my way through the woods. This was confirmed when I had stumbled upon a group of campers. I literally stumbled when I stopped in front of them.

"Holy fucking shit…" the darker skinner teen said. His eyes were wide in fear as was all of the others. The three different girls seemed to be close to tears.

"Nobody move," the black-haired Asian teen spoke. While she look terrified, she made sure to show a confident front.

"Guys that's the biggest bear I have ever seen. My parents would flip…" the blonde teen said.

I took a deep breath in and something smoky caught my attention. I hadn't smelled something that good in ages. Slowly I made my way closer to the metal cooler that was open. I just wanted to see what it was. Maybe even take some of it.

I mean I know that I shouldn't, but I just couldn't help myself. Lately all I could really find was different roots, berries, and grasses. The prey animals in the area were lower than normal at this time of year. I'd also been noticing smells in the same area that I haven't encountered before; it was super sweet and had a slight smell of death to it. It sent strange chills down my back and memories that I would rather keep buried to come up.

I made sure to move slowly and not show any threatening behavior. It was obvious that they were scared and in all honesty I might be traumatizing them. I couldn't help but hum in hopes to calm them down.

The noise was something that Ursa would do when I would start to get upset or agitated about something. It always calmed me down and relaxed me.

The blonde haired teens eyes widened at the noise I was making, as well as the other girl who spoke before. Each step was slow and deliberate, stopping and waiting if one of them let out a squeak of fear.

Finally I made it to the steel cooler and looked inside. I couldn't tell what kind they were but they looked like the hotdogs I used to have when I was little. The entire cooler was packed with them as well as some different lunch meats.

I pulled the hot dogs out and dropped them on the ground before doing the same to turkey and the ham. It was going to be pain to eat them because I would need to remove the copious amounts of plastic that seemed to cover them. Quickly I picked them all up in my mouth and left the teens, only looking back once when I reached the end of the little camp sight before vanishing back into the forest.

"I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes…" one of the teens said.

"Dude, Mike no one is going to believe us that this happened!"

"This isn't cool Tyler! We could have died! What if that thing wanted to eat us instead? It was huge! I have never seen anything that large before," one of the girls shrieked.

"Oh get off it, Lauren. You won't ever see something like that again…"

The voices slowly fading away as I took my stolen goods. Feeling a little bad for the trouble I might have caused but it was worth it for some good food.

* * *

-Time Skip-

It has been a couple weeks since I ran into the group of teenagers. After eating the delicious meal I made sure to head deeper into the Olympian forest. Trying to be out of the area for when they eventually tell their parents about what happened.

It also means that I am finally able to find myself some tasty food again. The elk and deer in this area seem to have more fight and spirit to them. It makes the hunt that much more enjoyable and it also means that I start storing the fat I need to make it through winter.

Hopefully because of how long fall seems to last, I can't help but wonder if it means that winter will be shorter. If so that means less hibernating and more time to enjoy the woods around me. Though I don't know how much longer I will stay here because lately I have been feeling this pull further north and for the life of me I can't figure out why.

My memory of everything my mother told me about our kind is fuzzy and as a small child I didn't really need to know.

After making it back to the large cave I managed to find, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sleep.

* * *

-POV Change-

"Emmet, you can't be serious. I don't see the reason why we need to go find this bear the other children at the school have been talking about."

"Come on, Rose. You know it's been killing you wondering how big this thing actually is. Even Eddy seemed surprised at the size of the bear. I just want to see it. If it really bugs you that much I won't feed on it or kill it," I tell her with a small smile as we race through the trees.

"Whatever…not like I care anyways," her voice small at the end.

I grab her arm thankful that she didn't flinch at the suddenness of it. Needing her to stop for just one moment.

She doesn't look at me and keeps her eyes staring to the side.

Reaching forward I cupped her cheek. My heart seems to beat, and I feel alive with just simply touching her. "Rose…I know you. I know how much you care about everything no matter how much of a front you put up. You don't need to do that around me. I know you and love every part of you…"

Her eyes soften and I know I could drown in them from the amount of love I can see. Her hand reaches up and holds the one I have on her cheek.

She then closes her eyes. "It just seems wrong to kill something for sport."

"I promise I won't hurt the bear. I just want to see how large it is. Edward said it looked to be almost 8 feet tall in their mind!" My enthusiasm causes her to open her eyes and smile at me.

Rolling her eyes she steps away and races away. I'm quick to follow.

For the next hour we continue to run around different parts of the Olympian park. Trying to find the scent for the animal and just when I'm about to quit and take us back home, I finally catch the scent.

"Do you smell that?"

Rose takes a deeper breath in trying to catch it and shakes her head. "I haven't ever smelled something like this before."

The closure we get to bears trail the stronger it becomes. The bears scent was think and seemed to cloud my mind. It also set me on edge, and I made sure to pull ahead of Rosalie just in case the bear was dangerous. Not wanting to risk it even with some bear that could easily be killed by our kind.

We finally stop at the entrance to a cave that seemed to almost blend into the mountain side. Around the entrance of the cave we finally saw the prints from the animal. The prints alone were larger than my head and sunk deep into the ground indicating the massive weight of the animal.

Rosalie looked panicky and actually hissed. Around the entrance of the cave were deep furrows into the ground, showing that the animal made the entrance of the cave larger to suit its needs.

"Em…I don't like this…" her hand gripping the back of my shirt tightly.

Making my way closer to the entrance, the cave was dark and if we were human then we wouldn't be able to see anything. They wouldn't be able to see the massive form that was slowly breathing in and out, obviously asleep.

"Holy shit…" my voice must have been to loud because it began to move. The massive wall of fur turned and slowly made its way out eyes locked on mine.

Fear actually coursed down my spine at its look.

I quickly backed away pulling Rose back with me.

Each step of the animal shook the earth. I could feel the vibrations even from a couple feet away. Then its head finally peaked out.

The animal actually looked confused to see us before the rest of its body came out of the cave.

I had never seen in my entire life an animal this large. My human memories were blurry at best, except for what happened to cause my death. That bear at the time I thought was large but it held nothing against this one. Easily alone without taking into account the slight hump the large grizzly had, was about 7 and a half feet tall. I could only imagine how tall it was on its hind legs.

The bear continued to take deep breaths in and stare at us before its eyes widened then narrowing in anger. It began to clack its teeth the sound loud and echoing off of the trees.

Between each clack of its teeth its paw would slap the ground. Each slap of its paw threw up dirt.

The slight whooshing sound indicated that Rose probably jumped into the tree. The bear seemed to not appreciate the fact that I wasn't moving away and roared in my direction.

The fear once more washed through my body at the sound. It shook me down my very bones.

"I'd hurry up if I was you. That thing that looks pissed," Rose warned.

I finally smirked at the creature. It actually looked dumbfounded and then I moved.

I went to tap the large animal on its back before jumping away. It is what I normally do when I play wrestle with a bear. Get it agitated and try to fight it. It has taken practice but I can now say that I can do it without hurting the animal to much.

This time it's different. This time I was absolutely blindsided by the animals paw. Thankfully it was a backhand that sent me careening into a copse of trees. Rosalie screaming my name.

No bear should have been able to move that fast. Something wasn't right here.

I stood once more to see that the bear hadn't moved but now releasing a guttural growl and was blocking its cave. Its eyes are blown wide as it stares at me. The black of its pupil engulfing the eye leaving behind a small ring of brown.

I rushed forward once more to try and tackle the creature only to be smacked on the back into the dirt. My body connected to the ground like thunder. Its heavy paw digging its claws into my back. And then I can feel them breaking through my skin. Through the hard diamond of my skin.

The small grunt of pain I let out spurs Rosalie into action, blind siding the bear off of me. The large animal smashing through trees only stopping when its body hits a large boulder that obviously fell off the cliff face next to it.

Even from hear I could the bones shatter. The cry of pain it gives out hurts me down to my very soul as I realize that this is most likely a shifter. A shifter who would rather live in its animal form and I attacked it.

I should have seen the signs. Seen how the intelligent eyes stared back at me. How instead of being scared or slightly frightened seemed to be interested in both Rose and me.

Rose took off like shot towards the downed animal. Her eyes were black as night and I haven't seen her this angered in a long time. Not since when I was sparring with Jasper and he accidently ripped my arm off. If Carlisle hadn't been there I couldn't imagine what would have happened. She didn't talk to Jasper for 3 years and she only started talking to him again was because I told her that it was an accident and she knows that he never intentionally hurt any of his family.

"Rose stop!" I scream at her.

She stops but her lips are pulled back and her canines are slightly elongated. A steady growl is released from deep in her chest.

"It's a shifter!"

The cracking of bone draws our attention back to the bear. It shifts in discomfort when it stands once more. The person actually seems scared as it looks at Rose, who can't seem to help but smirk in triumph.

"What are doing here? Our coven knew of no other shifter that lived in the area beside the wolves."

Rosalie makes her way back over to standing next to me. Normally I am not one for diplomacy, that's usually Eddy's or Carlisle's point of expertise. Mine is of how quickly I destroy any threat to our family. Though it would seem I have more to learn.

The large animal just tilted their head. Then the animal began to shrink down in size into a girl who looked to be close to 20 years old.

"AHHH! My eyes!" I screamed as I slapped my hands over my eyes. Trying to forget what I just saw.

Rosalie actually growled at the woman, while she just laughed. The laugh was gruff and slightly raspy. Rose's hand are ripping at my shirt trying to get it over my head but I refuse to move my hands. I am already in enough trouble with her and I don't need this added to it.

"God damn. Emmet just get the shirt off and go back to acting like a 10 year old boy," she hisses at me.

I move my arms to allow her to take my shirt. Her steps swift as she walks towards the young woman. I know she is still pissed off at how I was hurt but for some reason she is rather calm.

I finally open my eyes when I hear the material of the shirt slide over skin.

"Is he always like that?" the woman asks with her eye brow raised.

That's when I noticed that she was short. Like really short. The only shorter one in our family would have to be Alice. That sounded almost sad.

Rose just snorted before going back to glaring at the woman. "Why are you here?"

"Well…I mean it looks pretty obvious that I live here. I have been here for almost three years. This winter will be my third one in this area."

Her hand coming up and running through her hair. Hair that barely reached her shoulders. She stopped raising her arm though and hissed slightly, coming back down to rest on her ribs.

"Damn…blondie sure does pack a punch. I told you why I am here. Now why are you?"

"Honestly…we are here for you. Well bear you…not you, you… I heard from kids at school that they ran into this massive bear and thought of how I wanted to fight you," I couldn't but chuckle at that.

"You should have said that. I thought you trying to kill me. Though I was greatly surprised to see the golden eyes. I thought your eyes were red…" her voice quiet by the end but you could hear the sadness that had seeped into her voice and even Rosalie looks pained at her words.

"If you feed off of humans then your eyes are red. If you feed from animals then your eyes change to gold," Rosalie tells her.

Her eyebrows raise once more at that then turned down in almost anger. "So you're the reason I had to move further away from the area. I have been having problems finding enough prey. Winter is coming soon and I need the fat stores."

My mind does a face plant in my head at that as I try to wrap my head around what she just insinuated.

"Wait…so let me get this straight. You actually hibernate? You can do that?" I ask. It sounds crazy as we didn't realize that the animals natural instinct was so ingrained in the shifter.

Then she looks kind of sheepish. "Well I don't have too but I have been doing it since I was 12. It's strangely peaceful to hibernate. It also means that I get to skip winter. Food shortages aren't fun when you have to hunt for all of your food."

Rosalie at this point is now chewing on her lip before turning to look at me. I just nod my head letting her do what she wants. Knowing what she is going to say anyways. She is usually the first one to act if someone is in trouble as long as it doesn't put our family in danger.

"Would you like to stay with us for the winter? I know you're probably skeptical but I know our coven would let you stay for awhile. My coven leader Carlisle is a doctor and he can check your ribs to make sure they healed correctly."

Her voice was strong and confident. Not letting any weakness show.

The woman looks up at the sky deep in thought before finally looking back at Rose and smiling. "Sure. By the way, the name's Bella Swan."

My only thought is 'Shit' when I hear the last name.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a comment that I kind of rushed her getting to Forks as well as the way I handled her not letting her father know she was still alive. I promise everything will be explained in the next chapter....just remember that Bella after spending so long in her shifted form will think more like a bear and bear cubs don't ever meet the father as most male grizzly's will actually eat cubs that they find.


End file.
